This invention relates to an improvement in a rotary head assembly for use in magnetic tape recording/reproducing apparatus.
In prior art tape recording/reproducing apparatus capable of performing recording/reproducing operation in both the forward and reverse directions, the recording/reproducing head was moved up and down transverse to the path of a tape depending on the direction of operation. Such linear movement of a head often results in an error in azimuth between the forward and reverse directions, failing to perform acceptable recording/reproducing operation in both the directions.
Rotary head assemblies were recently developed wherein the head was rotated an angle of substantially 180 degrees to provide more precise azimuth adjustment. The applicant developed one exemplary rotary head assembly in which a head carrying drum is rotatably received in a bore in a drum holder which is fixedly secured to a head base. The drum holder consists of two segments which define a cylindrical bore therebetween when mated. The bore and the head carrying drum are provided with a circumferential channel and strip for mutual engagement. The assembly may be completed by placing the head carrying drum between the opposed holder segments and securing together the segments by means of screws or bolts. Then the head carrying drum is supported in the bore in the holder such that the drum is allowed for rotation about its axis, but prevented from axial movement through the channel-strip engagement. This assembly has some disadvantages that assembly is cumbersome and time-consuming because the drum holder is divided into two segments, and that the snug fit of the drum in the bore is not always ensured because of manufacturing tolerance. A complicated mechanism for rotating the head and somewhat inaccurate operation thereof constitute further shortcomings.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a rotary head assembly for use in a tape recording/reproducing apparatus which uses a single-piece drum holder for rotatably receiving a head carrying drum and a separate retainer instead of the channel-strip engagement for retaining the head carrying drum to prevent the axial movement thereof.
Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary head assembly for a tape recording/reproducing apparatus which is of a simple structure and can operate in a stable manner.